Reluctance
by The Mutant Jinx
Summary: Buttercup is unwilling to admit that she might have feelings for someone. Rated T to be safe.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Whassup, my people? I have decided to write a new story. I just got this idea randomly. By the way, they are sixteen and high school juniors in this story.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own PPG.**

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The bell rang loudly at three o' clock. The class jumped up out of their seats and rushed out of the room.

Buttercup heard a quiet giggle. She turned to see Bubbles walking next to her, laughing. "What?" Buttercup demanded.

"He was staring at you again," Bubbles said, flipping one long blond pigtail over her shoulder.

"Who?" Buttercup asked, annoyed with her sister.

"Butch!" Bubbles erupted into fits of giggles.

"What's so funny?" Blossom, Buttercup's other triplet, wondered as she came out of Pre-Calculus.

Bubbles continued, "If he fails History, we'll all know whose fault it is!" She nearly doubled over in laughter. Blossom gave her a confused look. "Butch was staring at Buttercup again," Bubbles explained.

Blossom didn't laugh, which Buttercup was pleased about. But much to her dismay, she said, "Aw. I think you guys would be cute."

"Come _on_, Blossom!" Buttercup groaned. "Give me a break! I mean, he's just so...just so...so _Butch_!"

"That's the same thing I said about Brick," Blossom reminded her. "And now look at us."

Buttercup grinned. "And the same thing Bubbles still says about Boomer."

Bubbles blushed and she elbowed Buttercup. "Shut up, Buttercup."

"Speak of the devil," Buttercup noted. Brick, Blossom's boyfriend and fellow redhead, came into the scene. His locker happened to be right next to Blossom's.

"Hey, Bloss," he said as he put his things away. "What's going on?" That was directed at all three girls.

"Oh, nothing," Bubbles trilled happily.

Brick's ruby eyes glinted with frustration. "Girls are really confusing," he complained. "Always so _vague_."

"Amen," Buttercup muttered under her breath.

Brick's brothers, Boomer and Butch, joined him. While Brick was the self-proclaimed leader, Butch was the tallest, at about six-foot-two. The others were around five-foot-nine.

Boomer and Bubbles exchanged embarrassed glances. "We'd better get going now," Brick said. "I'm willing to bet Fuzzy's getting lonely." He chuckled darkly. He gestured to his brothers and they left. Butch spared Buttercup a lingering gaze.

Bubbles was right. No one had looked at Buttercup like that before. It was kind of nice.

"Come on, girls," said Blossom. "We should go home, too."

"I think I'll stay in town for a while," Buttercup said quickly. "I have some money. I was going to spend it on a book." Lately, Buttercup had taken a strong liking to books, especially vampire novels.

"Okay," said Blossom. "We'll take your stuff home for you."

"Thanks." Then they parted ways.

* * *

By the time Buttercup had selected a good book, it was after dark. She had picked up every monster book she'd found and read through the first chapters of all of them before deciding on one worth her time and short patience.

As she walked home, she couldn't help but get an unbearably creepy feeling. She soon realized why.

Two thugs, around college age, stumbled out of an alley, empty beer bottles in their hands. "Oh, hey!" one of them, who was wearing a Yankees cap, said. "It's a Powderpuff Girl."

"Correction," Buttercup said coldly. "It's _Power_puff."

"Ooh, fiestly," said the other one, who had cropped brown hair. "I like that."

"If either of you touch me, I'll knock both your freaking heads off," Buttercup threatened.

"So the rumors are true," said Yankee boy. "You really did get the most spice." He grabbed her arm.

"I said don't touch me!" Buttercup punched him in the gut. Hard.

The other one began trembling. "Uh, Paul," he stammered. "You'd better look out. It's Butch." He pointed to something over Paul's shoulder.

Butch did look pretty imposing under the flickering streetlamp, his spiky black hair quivering as he twitched--either with excitement or anger. Maybe both. His emerald eyes could freeze water in July.

Butch was famous in the backstreets and alleyways of Townsville. The police let him get into all the fights he wanted to, so long as he kept the thug population at a minimum.

He stalked over to Paul and grabbed his collar. "Leave the girl alone," he growled. He let the guy go and the two idiots scrambled away.

Buttercup stared after them, dumbfounded. After some time, she turned to Butch. "I could have handled that myself, you know," she grumbled.

Butch just laughed. One brief, harsh-sounding, "Ha!"

Buttercup glared at him. "What? So you don't think I could have taken care of them?"

"To be perfectly honest, no." Buttercup walked faster. Though she was much smaller than Butch, she was fast. "Hey, wait!" He caught up to her. "Listen. I think I know how thugs' minds work a little better than you do. I couldn't just watch them assault you. I had to do something to get them away from you!" He closed his mouth abruptly, as if he'd said too much.

"Okay, fine, whatever," Buttercup sighed. "Just take me home."

Butch frowned. "A 'thank you' would be nice," he stated.

"Thank you." Then they took off into the moonless sky.

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**Okay, so tell me what you think and if you think I should continue. I also need ideas for what should happen next. The fate of this story rests in your hands.**

**Please review!**


	2. Chapter 2

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A/N: And I'm back. Conflicts will arise as two people learn of their feelings. *twitches* Speaking of which, I really do twitch when I get excited. And not just because I'm a freak.

**Disclaimer: I don't own PPG. Again, you're stupid if you think so.**

**And...action!**

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The Professor opened the door. "Buttercup!" he exclaimed. "Where were you?"

Buttercup sighed. "I'm fine, Professor." Then the Professor noticed that Butch was with her.

"What happened?" he demanded.

"It's okay, Professor Utonium," Butch assured. The Professor seemed to like the respect. "Buttercup just ran into some trouble on her way home. But I helped her out." Buttercup refused to say anything about the matter.

"Are you alright?" the Professor asked worriedly.

Buttercup repeated, "I'm fine. Okay? No broken bones or anything. Besides, they weren't even real villains. They were just a couple of college thugs. I could have handled them if they hadn't taken me by surprise." She made that a point.

The Professor nodded. "Just so long as you're safe. Now, run on up and get ready for bed. Then I want you to go straight to bed."

"Yes, sir." As Buttercup headed upstairs, she heard the Professor thank Butch for his help and send him home.

After Buttercup had washed up for bed, she was greeted by her sisters in their room. This time, they were both giggling madly.

"Ooh, Buttercup!" Bubbles squealed. "Tell us everything that happened!"

"Yeah!" said Blossom. "And no downsizing or overexaggerating."

Buttercup groaned. "Okay. So I went to the bookstore and picked out a book." She fetched her werewolf novel, _Blood and Chocolate_, from her bag. "Then as I was walking home, I ran into a couple of half-drunk college thugs. They tried to attack me, but then Butch stepped in and scared them off. Then he brought me home. That's it."

"So he followed you?" Bubbles and Blossom laughed. Buttercup just moaned.

* * *

"Hey, Butch!" Brick greeted when Butch finally made it home that night. Fuzzy Lumpkins waved from his chair near the little fireplace. Butch rolled his green eyes.

"Where've you been?" Boomer asked.

Butch just said, "I had a few things I had to take care of first."

"Like what?" Brick practically interrogated. "Did you get in a backstreet fight again?" His crimson eyes gleamed cynically.

"Sort of." Butch glanced around, seeking solace. He eventually found it in Boomer's merciful sapphire eyes.

"What were you doing, Butch?" Brick was getting annoyed.

Butch sighed. "Buttercup got into a spot of trouble, so I helped her out."

"How'd you know where she was?" Boomer wondered. "You didn't follow her, did you?" Butch couldn't help looking ashamed. "You did!" Boomer gasped. "Stalker!"

Butch punched him. "Shut up." Boomer rubbed his arm where Butch hit him.

Brick laughed. "Ah, ignore him. I know you didn't really follow her. Did you?" Butch nodded guiltily. "Why?" Brick still didn't seem to believe him.

"I don't know!" Butch plopped onto the ground. At least it was more comfortable than the ancient couch. "I just...I just...I just feel _protective _of her, I guess. I don't know." He shook his head, his face buried in his hands. But he didn't risk closing his eyes. Every time he did, he saw her behind his lids. Her raven hair, ivory skin, pretty face, light-green eyes, great figure....Perfect. He'd closed his eyes.

"And the way you've been looking at her," Boomer mused. His wide eyes got even wider. "Oh my God. You of all people, Butch!"

"What?" Butch looked up at him.

Boomer chuckled a little. "I think you're in love with her, Butch."

Brick was the first one to guffaw. "Yeah, right! Butch, in love! Ha ha...ha...." His laughter faded as a thoughtful look came over Butch's face. "You really are, aren't you?" He almost seemed worried.

"Yeah. I think so." Huh. Butch was surprised to find that love didn't feel that bad, after all.

It was the doubt and rejection that a lot of people had to learn to deal with.

* * *

That night, all through her dreams, Buttercup would get into a fight. Either with Fuzzy or a robber or Sedusa. She would have laughed in their faces in her dreams if she hadn't nearly lost the fights.

Every time it seemed like she was about to lose, the scene would change and she would fight someone else. The weird thing was that every time she started a new fight, she just got weaker and weaker.

Finally, at the end, she dreamed she was fighting Him. It soon turned into a nightmare. She was so certain that she was going to be destroyed.

When Him prepared to strike the final blow, a streak of emerald green tore across his lair and knocked him against the wall. Him then vanished.

Buttercup rushed up to her rescuer and hugged him and kissed his face again and again. It wasn't until she was actually making out with him full-on that she realized who it was.

Butch!

She bolted upright in bed and gasped. _Oh, no, _she fretted. _This isn't happening! This _isn't _happening! I'm just...I'm just...I'm just grateful to him for saving me from those guys! Yeah, that's it. I-I don't like him. Not like that. Not like that...._But she was still afraid to go back to sleep. She didn't want to have that dream ever again.

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**Okay. So there's the epic Chapter Two. Hope you guys liked it.**

**Please review! I think I'm on a roll!**


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: I'm back with more. This time, challenges will be introduced. Ooh, exciting. *twitches***

**Disclaimer: I don't own PPG. Wow, this is getting old.**

**Up and out!**

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_Thank God it's Saturday, _Buttercup thought the next morning. The previous night, she'd finally managed to get a relieving dreamless sleep. But as she looked around, she realized that her sisters were not there.

She didn't understand why she thought having no dreams was so good. What had she dreamed about, anyway? Oh, right. Now she remembered. She felt a blush slowly creep onto her cheeks.

Blossom peered past the door into the bedroom. "Good, you're up," she said. "The Professor said we could go to the mall. You want to come?"

"Sure," Buttercup replied. Anything to get her mind off last night.

* * *

Usually, a guy would not be caught dead at the mall if he was alone. Unless his name happened to be either Brick or Boomer or Butch. And as Butch walked aimlessly through the wide hallways, he could have sworn he saw people inching away from him.

Eventually, he got bored of just walking around, so he sat down on a white plastic bench outside of a music store. Something familiar inside the store caught his eye. A small girl of sixteen, dressed in a grass-green t-shirt and camouflage cargo pants, with chin-length black hair and big green eyes. His fantasies did the girl no justice.

Well, since it was a coincidence this time, he decided it wouldn't hurt to hang around a little while longer.

* * *

Buttercup wandered randomly in the music store. The _Twilight _soundtrack was playing on shuffle; the speakers were blaring "I Caught Myself" by Paramore. A red-and-black CD captured her attention. It happened to be U2's _How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb_. It included some of her favorites like "Vertigo," "Miracle Drug," and "All Because of You." She picked it up and started walking over to the counter. Then she noticed something outside of the store.

On a white bench, managing to look aloof and unbearably attractive, sat Butch. He seemed to be trying to act like he didn't know that she was there.

The dream she'd had replayed in her head. As "I Caught Myself" ended, she heard herself sing quietly along with Hayley Williams. "Oh, no, I should have never thought," she muttered. She cursed under her breath as "Leave Out All the Rest" by Linkin Park started playing.

"What was that?" the guy with bleach-blond hair behind the counter asked.

"Nothing," Buttercup answered. She handed the U2 CD to him. He rang it up, she payed, he put it in a bag, and she left the store to face the black-haired boy who really got on her last nerve.

* * *

Princess stared dreamily at Butch while her best friend Lizzie stood with her. While she knew Lizzie only pretended to care, it was still a comfort to have _someone _there.

"He is so freaking hot!" Princess exclaimed quietly. Lizzie turned to her. She had been staring at a cute frilly tank top.

"What?" Lizzie came back to the real world. "Oh. Oh, yeah."

Princess sighed. "If only he would ask me to prom."

"But that's two months away," Lizzie pointed out.

"So?" Princess snapped. She was used to getting what she wanted, even at the grown-up age of sixteen. She frowned as someone came out of the music store across the hall and started talking to Butch. "Ugh. He's talking to one of those Powerpuff creeps." There was no way this girl would serve as any type of competition. Not if Princess had anything to do about it.

* * *

"So," Buttercup said as she looked disapprovingly down at Butch. "We meet again."

"This really was a coincidence this time, I swear," Butch explained sheepishly.

Buttercup snorted. "And last night wasn't?" Butch looked away. She had him. So the inevitable question had to be asked. "Listen, Butch....How did you know where I was?" She motioned to him to walk with her and he did.

"I guess I just...." Butch thought for a moment. "I feel protective of you. You do tend to attract brawls like a supermagnet."

"So you followed me?" Buttercup couldn't help but laugh. The idea was so action movie-ish. It was completely unreal. And yet it was. "Why?"

Butch shrugged. "Let's just say I know the streets of Townsville at night. You were bound to get into some sort of trouble. Just wanted to make sure you didn't get hurt while I was around. If you did, I'd bet the Professor would blame me, then kill me." He chuckled. It was a gruff, dark sound.

Oh. So it wasn't what Buttercup thought it had been. Or maybe it was. Either way, she was utterly confused--both with Butch and herself. "Well, I'd better meet up with Blossom and Bubbles," she said quickly, eager to get away from this puzzling boy. "I'll see you later." She waved and walked away as swiftly as she could.

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**And that's Chapter Three. Ooh, someone's jealous. Which means we get to eliminate her.**

**So tell me what you think. In short, that means review. So just review.**


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: Yes. It has taken a long time, but I've come up with something. Out of boredom. But that's why we're here, isn't it?**

**Disclaimer: I don't own PPG, blah blah blah, sigh sigh sigh, dang dang dang....**

**Lassen Sie uns gehen ("Let's go" in German)!**

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"Buttercup!" Blossom exclaimed when Buttercup finally arrived at their meeting place of Rack Room Shoes. "Where were you?"

"Sorry," Buttercup said. "I was in the music store and lost track of time."

Blossom nodded. "I'll accept that. Now, come on. The Professor's expecting us."

When they finally got home, Blossom and Bubbles departed to watch television. Buttercup decided to go to their room. She popped her new CD into the CD player. As "Vertigo" began playing, she became extremely irked by the dust all over the carpet, so she decided to get the vacuum and clean it up.

Who would have thought that vacuuming was such a good stress-reliever? She peacefully vacuumed the carpet, then continued listening to U2. She hummed along to "Sometimes You Can't Make It On Your Own." She got out a pencil and some paper and began to doodle.

She wondered idly why Butch had followed her to the bookstore last night anyway. Maybe he really did just want to keep her safe to save his own skin. Or maybe, like Bubbles said, he _did _have feelings for her....

She groaned and shoved the pad off of her lap. Why did it matter, anyway? It wasn't like she liked him or anything. No way! After all, it didn't seem like too long ago that they were bitter enemies. And the same size.

But maybe that wasn't the Rowdyruff Boys' purpose. Even after Him resurrected them to destroy the girls, they had become sort of independent. In fact, really they were just boys being boys, only one-hundredfold. So perhaps, if they had been created by someone else, they wouldn't be enemies in the first place. Maybe they would even like each other, or grow to be counterparts.

Ugh. Why was Buttercup being so philosophical all of a sudden? Maybe U2 was thought-inducing.

Or maybe she had finally gone mad.

* * *

Blossom's cell phone rang loudly. She answered it without looking at it. "Hello?" A smile came across her face. Bubbles turned to her, puzzled. "Hey, Brick!" Oh. That made sense.

Bubbles tried to turn her attention back to the TV program--it was the episode of _iCarly_ called "iMeet Fred"--but it wasn't easy. She wished she could be as happy as Blossom. It didn't seem fair for her or Buttercup to have to sit back and wait while Blossom had a boyfriend.

She didn't blame Blossom or Brick. Not either of them. She blamed herself for being afraid. She was sure Buttercup blamed herself for being so unwilling. But she knew that Buttercup would try to avoid as many weaknesses as possible. A companion meant love, love meant weakness, weakness meant defeat. That was the way it was for most superheroes.

But then, there was the subject of the actual companions of Spiderman and Superman and them. None of their partners had superpowers. So maybe having superpowered lovers would help?

She considered this for a long time. Then she finally realized that the _iCarly _episode had ended.

* * *

Buttercup decided that it might be helpful if she took a quick flight around the city to check for villains or monsters. There had been a huge decline of monsters lately, so she didn't expect much.

Which is why she didn't think she'd fly smack-dab into something.

A big red thing stood in her path. _Great, _she thought. "Um, excuse me?" she demanded. "I believe you're in my way." The red thing turned around. It turned out to be a huge octopus creature. _Since when can octopuses live in freshwater? _She didn't care if "otcopuses" wasn't the correct plural. She just had to get rid of this thing before it reached town.

She sighed. "I had rather hoped to have nothing to do today, so now I'm mad. Hope you're happy." She pulled her right arm back and landed a hard punch right beneath its giant eyeball. Something in her hand crunched.

"_Ow!_" she hissed. "Oh, crap! Ow!" The thing was a robot. A solid metal one at that. _Great. Just great. Now, not only can I not figure out how to kill this thing, but I've broken my drawing hand._ She flew around it, trying to find a weak point. The robot fish thing swatted at her with a long, pinkish tentacle. She flinched and barely managed to dodge it.

"Okay, let's see here...aah!" The octopus swiped at her again. "Oh, holy crap! Crap, crap, crap!"

Something on the octopus's front side made a _ping _noise. The octopus's brow furrowed (if that was even possible) and turned to face whatever it was. This gave Buttercup the opportunity to find the control box, pry the door off, and destroy the main circuits.

After the octopus had fallen, Buttercup landed, relieved. She looked up to see a familiar face.

"When will you stop helping me out?" she groaned.

"_Someone's_ a little ungrateful," Butch grumbled, crossing his arms at the same time Buttercup did.

Buttercup paused for a moment, a little dazed at the sight of him. _No! Stop that! _"It's not that I'm ungrateful," Buttercup covered. "Because I am. Grateful, I mean. I just want to know how you know when I need help."

Butch shrugged in the infuriatingly, attractively aloof way he had. "Just instinct, I guess." He turned and flew away.

Buttercup scowled at the spot where Butch had just been standing. He really did get on her last nerve. Honestly, she didn't mind. For now, anyway.

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**And there's Chapter Four. Exciting! *twitches***

**Please review. If you do, you'll get a prize! **

**Not really.**

**But review anyway.**


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: And here we are again. We're finally moving forward in time. Yay. *twitches***

**Disclaimer: I don't own PPG, goshdarnit.**

**And here we go.**

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The bell rang. "All right," the English teacher, Mr. Sanford, said finally. "Class dismissed."

The class jumped up. They all rushed out the door except for Buttercup. She was deep in thought. She wasn't even sure what she was thinking about.

She caught sight of Butch walking out of his Biology class. He gave her his mysterious, vague look. She couldn't think straight anymore.

"Hey!" Tom, who had been Buttercup's best guy friend since the second grade, came up to her then. Tom had a crush on her, but she didn't pay it any mind. "How's it going?"

Buttercup just mumbled, "Oh, okay I guess." Butch was still looking at her.

"So, uh, I, uh...it's a little over a month away...." Buttercup couldn't hear Tom anymore. She was too caught up in contemplation of Butch's strange behavior around her. "So, what do you say?"

Still looking at Butch, Buttercup asked, "What do I say to what?"

"Going to prom," Tom said sheepishly. "You know. With me."

"Oh." Buttercup blinked. She considered the offer for a moment. "Huh. Well, I really don't like dances. Like, seriously. Can't stand them. I wasn't planning to go, anyway. Sorry." And she really was.

"That's okay," said Tom, shrugging. "Wow. Rejection isn't as bad as everyone makes it out to be." He waved. "See you later."

Buttercup barely waved back. Then she walked straight ahead. She had to confront Butch. "Hey," she said casually when she finally made it to where Butch was standing.

"Hey," Butch replied.

Buttercup got right to the point. "I really don't get you," she confessed. "I mean, one day you're all in a rage because of guys attacking me and the next, you act like a huge monster about to get me is no big deal." She scowled at the memory of the bizarre weekend that she'd experienced a little over two weeks ago. "What's up with you?"

Butch's face remained impassive and calm and strangely irritating. "I can't tell you yet," he said simply. "Now's not the right time...besides, we've got to get to History."

Buttercup sighed and followed the infuriating boy who preoccupied her concerns and took away all feelings of aggression and anger towards anyone but him.

* * *

"Whoops!"

"Uh-oh!"

Bubbles and Boomer ran smack-dab into each other on their way to their next classes.

"Sorry," Boomer muttered. He studied the books and binders that now lay scattered about on the floor. "Need any help with that, Bubbles?"

Bubbles beamed up at him. Boomer felt himself blush. "Sure, thanks," Bubbles answered.

Boomer carefully organized the books while Bubbles took care of the binders. They stood back up and Bubbles dusted herself off. Boomer gave her the books. "Thanks, Boomer," Bubbles said, smiling up at him gratefully.

Boomer gulped nervously. "Hey, Bubbles....Is anyone taking you to prom?"

Bubbles giggled. "No. Not at the moment."

Boomer frowned, confused. "What do you mean, not at the moment?"

Bubbles laughed again. "Didn't _you _want to take me, Boomer?"

Boomer was suddenly very flustered. "Uh, well, I, uh, sort of, well, you see....Yeah. I do want to take you." Bubbles laughed once more; the sound was like windchimes.

"It's a date, then," she said. She gave him a little wave and headed off to History.

* * *

Blossom waited a little impatiently for her sisters by her locker. When Buttercup finally showed up, Blossom was shocked. "Wow, Buttercup," she said. "Usually, Bubbles is here before you."

"Yeah," Buttercup agreed, nodding. "But she, uh, got held up."

Just then, Bubbles hurried up to them. Her face was flushed; this meant she was excited and nervous at the same time.

"Hey, Bubbles," Blossom said. "What's going on?"

Bubbles said, "I've got a date for the prom!"

"Really?" Blossom asked. "Who?"

Bubbles grinned with pride. "I," she announced, "am going to the prom with Boomer." Blossom felt her eyes bug out of her head.

"Really?" Blossom said again. "Which one of you asked--you or Boomer?" Blossom couldn't help but rush the words. She was so happy for her younger triplet. Bubbles had never been on any sort of date before. She could tell that Bubbles was happy, too.

"Boomer asked me," Bubbles revealed. She bounced up and down with ecstasy. "I'm so excited! I mean, I really like Boomer a lot, and it's _so _perfect because I've never been on a date before, so going with Boomer will most definitely mean that I should be with him forever and ever and....Oops." She shrugged. "I'm rambling. Sorry."

Blossom laughed. "It's okay. Remember, I was that excited when I first hooked up with Brick."

"Yeah," Bubbles recalled.

Buttercup crossed her arms. She seemed very frustrated. "What's wrong, Buttercup?" Blossom asked of the middle child.

"Nothing," Buttercup mumbled. "It's not your problem."

Blossom frowned. She really wished that Buttercup would tell her what was the matter.

* * *

**So that's it. That's what took an entire day's thought to come up with. Hope it was worth it. 'Cause if it wasn't, I'd be mad and I'd really hurt my muses. And that would get us all nowhere.**

**Please review.**


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: And I'm back and so excited! *twitches* For all you Blossom/Brick worshippers out there, there will be a lot more of it in this chapter. *crazed Willy Wonka (new movie) laugh***

**Disclaimer: LEAVE ME ALONE ABOUT ME NOT OWNING PPG!**

**And here we go!**

* * *

As soon as they got home, Blossom headed in the direction of the kitchen. "Hey, girls--you want me to make you something to eat?"

"Sure!" Bubbles said happily. She seemed to still be in a romantic sort of daze.

"No thanks," said Buttercup. "I'm not hungry." Then she headed up to the girls' room.

Blossom could only stare after her. What was up?

As Blossom was getting out the glasses, yogurt, granola, and fruit to make parfaits, her cell phone vibrated in her pocket. She didn't have to even glance at the number to know who it was. "Hello?" she said.

"Hey, Bloss," Brick said on the other end. "What's wrong?"

"What do you mean, what's wrong?" Blossom asked, trying to act completely oblivious as to how she was feeling at the moment.

"Why are you stressed?" Brick replied. "You seem...worried."

Blossom sighed. "It's Buttercup," she admitted. "Something's wrong. She wants to be alone all the time, and she won't talk to anyone. Not to me, not to Bubbles, not even to the Professor. It's got me concerned." Her voice wavered slightly on the last statement, but much to her relief, it did not break.

"The same thing's going on with Butch," Brick told her. "Even Fuzzy's tried talking to him, but he just manages to remain in isolation. Even in a one-room house."

Blossom nodded thoughtfully. "I'll try to figure out what I can."

"Okay," Brick agreed. "Just don't let yourself get too worked up over this. No one would want to lose you now." He paused for a brief moment. Then he said, "I love you, Blossom."

Blossom couldn't help but smile. "Love you, too." She hung up.

Bubbles was giving her a confused look; her brow was furrowed and her head was cocked to one side.

"That was Brick," Blossom explained. "He told me that Butch has been acting the same way Buttercup has. We agreed that we'll try to figure out as much as we can." She finished preparing the parfaits and sat down at the table with Bubbles. Randomly, she noted the Professor typing away at his computer, researching something.

Bubbles nodded. Her lower lip trembled. "Blossom, I'm scared. What if Buttercup never talks to us again? What if we're losing her forever?"

"I don't know, Bubbles," Blossom answered. She poked absently at her yogurt with her spoon.

"Girls! Girls!" the Professor exclaimed excitedly. "Guess what I've just figured out!" He bursted into the kitchen. "Bubbles, will you fetch Buttercup?"

"Sure thing, Professor!" Bubbles rushed upstairs to retrieve their drifting sister.

* * *

Buttercup lay on the green bedspread of her twin bed. She was reading the end of _Pride and Prejudice_, the part where Mr. Darcy finally tells Elizabeth how he feels. It struck Buttercup slightly odd that the two leads were so stubborn.

She couldn't help but giggle when Mr. Darcy said the "you have bewitched me body and soul" line. It was only the most perfect pickup line in the entire freaking universe!

Bubbles came in. "Buttercup!" she said. "The Professor has something to tell us!"

"Okay," Buttercup said cautiously. She put the book down, got off the bed, and headed downstairs with Bubbles.

The Professor seemed very enthusiastic about what he'd found out when Buttercup reached the living room. Buttercup knew him well. Even if he hated what he learned, it was the thrill of new information that kept him going.

Bubbles and Buttercup sat down on the sofa next to Blossom.

"Now that you're all here, I've got something to tell you all," the Professor said. "I was researching superhero counterparts, just out of curiosity." He shrugged. "Even though there's been nothing of the sort in modern society, I was able to find some ancient legends regarding counterparts." His eyes shone and a huge grin spread across his face.

"According to the stories, when the superhero and his or her counterpart are together, they are at their strongest."

"But Professor," Bubbles cut in, "the boys have helped us out before. We weren't any stronger then."

The Professor shook his head. "No, Bubbles, I mean _together_."

"Romantically speaking?" Blossom guessed. The Professor nodded.

Buttercup managed to keep her expression very calm. On the inside, however, she was freaking out. _Oh my God. Oh my God. Oh my God! _Her brain racked, trying to wrap itself around this. _Me. Butch. Me and Butch. Together. Romantically! _One side of her kind of liked that idea. The other side wanted to beg the Professor to _please _be joking.

"So anyway," the Professor continued. "I figured that if all of you become paired up with your counterparts--each at your own paces, of course--the six of you could rid Townsville of evil for good!"

"That's a pretty good notion, Professor," Blossom piped up.

Bubbles nodded. "A very good idea, Professor," she chimed.

Buttercup couldn't risk talking, for fear that she might scream. Now she was alone in the endless depths of despair, infuriation, and complete and utter confusion.

* * *

**And there's Chapter Six! Ooh. I've got chills just thinking about what's in store! But you won't find out what it is until you review!**


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: And we're back once again. I want to thank a bunch of people (most whom I don't know, I just talk to them on this site). I'm excited. *twitches***

**Disclaimer: Still don't own anything. So bugger off. No, I didn't mean it that way! I meant don't bother me about it....God. You people just can't take a joke.**

**Here we go! Keep all arms, legs, and other appendages inside the ride at all times. Thank you.**

* * *

When the Professor was finished, Buttercup went upstairs to finish reading _Pride and Prejudice_. She thought, randomly, that Butch was a lot like Mr. Darcy.

She groaned and plopped onto the floor outside of the bedroom. Why was she so freaking confused? She hated this!

_What's wrong with me? _she moaned in her head.

Her annoying little conscience spoke up. _Oh, I know exactly what's going on, _it said smugly. God, she despised that tiny, nasal voice. _You want to know what it is?_

"Yes," Buttercup whispered, too tired and puzzled to think the answer. She really had gone insane. Maybe she needed to go to a mental institution to get some help....

_Oh, Buttercup! _Was the voice actually laughing? _You are so silly! _The voice composed itself. _You and I both know that your "problem" isn't really a problem at all! You're just in love!_

Buttercup sighed. Even though she detested the voice in her head, she could not deny the fact that it was right.

* * *

Princess grinned attractively at the black-haired boy across the hall--well, she thought it was attractive, at least. But Butch still didn't seem to notice her. Lizzie was talking a boy.

Princess huffed and walked right up to Butch. If he couldn't ask her to prom on his own, then she would have to make him. "Hey, Butch," she smiled. She fluttered her eyelashes. "You going to prom with anyone?"

Butch seemed distracted. He looked over Princess's shoulder. "Well, actually," he said, "I wasn't really planning on going at all. Sorry."

Princess looked over her shoulder to see what Butch was staring at. Dang! It was that Powerpuff Girl again! "Oh, okay," she said to Butch. "Just wanted to know." Then she marched right over to the black-haired brat.

* * *

_God, what does she want? _Buttercup thought as Princess stormed over to her. _If she's going to complain about not being a Powerpuff Girl again, I swear...._She was careful not to finish the thought.

Princess glared at her. "Just _what _do you think you are doing?" she hissed.

"I honestly don't know," Buttercup giggled. This was kind of amusing.

Princess growled. "Listen here, buttface," she snarled. "I _know _you like Butch. And I _know _you've been distracting him lately. But let me tell you: He is _mine_. And if you try your little tricks again, you will find yourself in a lot of trouble. I know people in high places."

Buttercup chuckled. "Alright, _Pretty Princess_," she sneered. "I'll have you know that I don't _like _Butch." _I just love him, is all. _"So you can put your giant wad of cash where your spoiled-brat mouth is. 'Cause right now, you are really pissing me off. And _no one _likes me when I'm pissed." She was practically spitting in her face when she finished. Princess seemed stunned.

"Miss Utonium! Miss Morbucks!" The very British principal, Dr. Whitaker, called them down. "This looks like the beginning of a skirmish. Let's not allow it to progress to that level, okay?"

"Sorry, Dr. Whitaker," Princess said sweetly. Buttercup stopped her before she could leave.

"By the way, Pretty Princess," she laughed. "You think you know people in high places? I'm a freaking _Powerpuff Girl_! You should meet some of my acquaintances sometime!" She let go of her arm and chortled as a rather ruffled-up Princess Morbucks walked away.

Butch came up to her. "What was that about?" His gruff voice sounded as if it hadn't spoken in a long time.

"Oh, nothing," Buttercup mumbled, suddenly embarrassed. "It was stupid."

"Tell me." His emerald eyes were pleading. Almost like he thought it was his fault.

"It's just that....Well, let me put it this way. I--we're--confusing her." Buttercup looked down.

Butch seemed skeptical. "How so?"

"Well...." Buttercup didn't know how to put it. "It's just that....Um, to be honest, I, uh, feel like I care more for you than you do for me." She looked back up at him. He was smiling. He seemed amused.

"You seriously think that?" He appeared nearly on the brink of laughter. That and guilt.

"Yeah." Buttercup felt bad now.

Butch sighed. "Well, I--let's talk about this. After school. Okay?" He started walking towards his next class.

"Sure." Buttercup could only stare after him like an idiot. _Stupid aloof attractive infuriating aggrivating irresistible absolutely perfect Rowdyruff Boy, _she grumbled in her head.

Butch glanced back at her over his muscular shoulder. Buttercup remembered what Blossom had said once, about letting emotions rule you sometimes, that it felt cleansing. Right now, Buttercup wanted to melt into the floor.

Yep. Absolutely perfect.

* * *

***girlish fangirl squeal* So so so so so so excited! EEP! *twitches***

**Review or you won't get more! Mwa-ha-ha-ha-ha!**


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N: Back once again. And now on with the show.**

**Disclaimer: Don't own it.**

* * *

After History, Buttercup stayed behind in the classroom, as did Butch.

Bubbles approached Buttercup, seeming puzzled. "Aren't you coming?" she asked.

"Yeah," Buttercup answered. "Just gotta...take care of some things first." She gestured with her hand. "Go on. I promise I'll be home in less than thirty minutes." She gave her a reassuring smile and Bubbles walked on.

Butch gave Buttercup a very intense look. Buttercup wanted to die right then and there. He motioned to her. "Follow me," he said. He led her out of the room and down the hall. He stopped at an old-looking door, then pulled out a set of keys.

"Where'd you get those?" Buttercup wondered accusingly.

"Relax," Butch told her. "The principal gave each of us a set. He figured we might need some time to cool off every once in a while." He was talking about him and his brothers. Then he stuck a key in the keyhole. They fit and he rotated the key. The door opened with an eerie squeak. He walked inside and Buttercup followed. What was inside took her breath away.

It was like an overgrown forest. There was green and bark and moss everywhere. The air was damp and cool. It was like paradise.

"This used to be the courtyard," Butch explained. "But after the plants got out of control, the old principal didn't want to kill the nature here, so they just blocked it off from everyone else. This is what became of it."

"It's beautiful," Buttercup breathed subconsciously. It really was. She'd never seen a prettier place. She composed herself. "Okay. Get to the point."

"Right," Butch agreed. "You said you care more for me than I do for you. Well, you're wrong."

Buttercup's mouth fell open. "Seriously?"

Butch nodded. "Just listen--I do care a lot about you. But it's just that I worry about you. I've been associated with some unfriendly characters." He grimaced. "I don't want to risk you. Okay?"

"What are you saying?" Buttercup interrogated. _God, he's confusing._

Butch suddenly froze. He cursed. "My brothers are looking for me," he explained. "I have to go. You should go too. Wait--meet me in a week. Down the oldest alley on Main Street."

"Uh, okay." Buttercup was stunned.

Butch brushed past her and into the hallway, but not without one last look at her.

Buttercup looked up. There was no roof, so she shot straight up like a rocket and flew home, her racing heart propelling her the whole way.

* * *

Bubbles bounced up and down near the door. Where was Buttercup? She said she'd be home soon. What was taking her so long? _Don't be such a worrywart, _she scolded herself. _You forget, this is _Buttercup_. She's fine on her own._

_But what if Butch did something to her? _

_Quit complaining! Butch loves her and respects her, you know he does._

Still, when Buttercup came home, Bubbles nearly attacked her at the door. "BC!" she exclaimed. "Thank God! I was starting to get worried."

Buttercup patted her back. "Don't freak out, Bubs. I'm fine." She pulled away and gave her a cheeky grin.

Blossom came up. "There you are, Buttercup!" she sighed in relief. "Where did you go after school?"

"Butch had to talk to me about something," Buttercup said.

Blossom huffed. "So you'll talk to Butch, huh?" she questioned angrily. "You'll talk to _Butch_, but you won't talk to your own family about anything at all?"

"I didn't ask him to," Buttercup argued. "_He _wanted to talk to _me_. It's none of your business, anyway!"

"It is so my business!" Blossom snapped. "I'm the leader! I need to know what's going on!"

"No, you don't!" Buttercup shouted. "You don't need to know anything!" With that, she stormed up the stairs. Luckily, the Professor was out, so there was no one to fuss about the stomping.

"Buttercup!" Bubbles cried. She followed her. She turned to Blossom halfway up the stairs. "See what you do?" She finished her journey. "Buttercup!" She rushed into their room. Buttercup was sitting on her bed, crossing her arms and scowling. "Buttercup!"

"It's none of her business," Buttercup growled. "None of hers at all what I do, who I talk to, where I go, who I love...." She stopped, realizing that Bubbles was in the room. "Oh, Bubbles!" A single tear ran down her cheek.

It wasn't very often that Buttercup showed emotions, let alone cried. So, naturally, Bubbles panicked. What was she supposed to do now? She didn't think that Buttercup, of all people, would want to be comforted. But it was her only option. So she ran over to her, sat down beside her, and wrapped her arms around her. "Shh, shh," she murmured. "It's okay. It's okay."

"I'm so confused," Buttercup sobbed into Bubbles's shoulder. "It's just that...well...I mean...I've never even had a real crush before, and now this happens, and...."

"Don't worry, BC," Bubbles whispered. "It'll all be okay. I bet Blossom will apologize soon, okay? It's just that she's been really worried about you lately, is all. You haven't been talking to anyone, and she's angry and upset and hurt."

"I'm sorry," Buttercup sniffled. "I've just needed time to think about this." An awkward silence ensued.

To break it, Bubbles said, "So....What did Butch want to talk to you about?"

"I don't know," Buttercup confessed. "He never got around to telling me. But he told me to meet on Main Street in a week."

"Ooh!" Bubbles squealed. "How exciting!" Buttercup just rolled her eyes.

Blossom entered the room without knocking, which was unlike her. "Buttercup?" Apparently, she'd shed her share of tears. "Look, I'm really sorry I yelled at you. I just want to know what's going on. These past couple of weeks, I've felt like I'm losing you."

"I forgive you Blossom," Buttercup said. "And I'm sorry for not telling you anything. But that's going to stop right now." A wide grin spread across her face. "I have something to tell you." Then she began.

* * *

**Wow, long chapter. Phew. *twitches***

**If you review, I'll write more. So review.**


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N: And, after such a long time, I is back with more. Yay.**

**Disclaimer: Don't own it.**

**Enjoy!**

* * *

When Buttercup had finished talking, Blossom said, "So...are you going to meet Butch next week?"

Buttercup shrugged her shoulders. "Dunno. I mean, do either of you think I should?" She really was genuinely confused about the whole thing. She wanted to meet with Butch, but for the first time, she needed her sisters to approve.

"Duh!" Bubbles's tone made the answer seem obvious. "This is important for you, BC! Go for it!" She hugged her tightly.

Blossom nodded in agreement. "I think you should do it, Buttercup," she agreed. "No matter what happens, you two are clearly meant for each other. And who knows? Maybe the Professor's right about the counterpart thing."

Buttercup grinned. "Okay," she said. She rested her head on her pillow. "Now I just have to wait a week and see what happens."

* * *

The next week was boring and uneventful. Occasionally, Princess would give Buttercup death glares, but that was the most interesting thing to happen.

On Friday, just as Buttercup was about to leave school to go home for a few minutes before meeting with Butch, Tom came up to her.

"So," he said nervously. "You, uh....You like Butch, huh?"

Buttercup frowned. "Who says?" She already knew the answer. "Princess," she grumbled.

"Yeah," Tom admitted. "So, do you?"

"Maybe I do. Maybe I don't. Is it really any of your business?" Buttercup was getting really annoyed. Sure, Tom was her good friend, but he could be so pushy about who she hung out with sometimes.

"No. Guess not." Tom sighed. "See you later." He walked away as swiftly as any normal person possibly could without falling flat on his or her face. Then Buttercup headed on home.

When she reached home (this time with her sisters), they both dragged her upstairs. "Hey! What the heck are you doing?" Buttercup demanded.

"What do you _think _we're doing?" Bubbles answered. "You have to wear something absolutely _gorgeous_!" When they got to their room, both she and Blossom dragged her to Buttercup's wardrobe and opened it for her. "Ugh! Don't you have anything besides pants?" Bubbles huffed in an exasperated tone.

"Sorry to disappoint you," Buttercup laughed.

"Oh, well," Blossom resolved. "You _do _have some nice shirts in here, though...."

Buttercup groaned. "Come _on_! It's really not that big a deal!" But her sisters had already blocked the doors and windows. There was no escape from the next fifteen minutes of torture.

Finally, they were finished. Buttercup had to admit, it really wasn't that bad. They'd rumaged through the wardrobe and found a frilly green top that Bubbles said "contrasted with her skin tone nicely." Then they'd wrestled her into some white capris. However, they'd let her have her way and wear her favorite black pair of Converse.

At last, Buttercup was able to head into town. She walked uneasily down Main Street, searching for the alley that looked the oldest. At last, she found an alley that had moss on the bricks and cobblestones, a few of which were missing. Someone grabbed her arm and pulled her into the dark alley, but she wasn't phased. She knew who it was.

"Okay," Buttercup said, pressing her back against the wall opposite Butch. The alley really wasn't all that wide. "What's this about?"

"I wish I could tell you without it sounding like a badly-written script," Butch said. There was a bit of an awkward silence. "But you know what?" Butch inched closer to her. "I don't think I have to say anything." He placed his fingertips on the wall behind her, on either side of her, but he left her enough space to escape if she wanted to. He took a deep breath, like he was getting ready to plunge into deep, cold water.

Then the ground opened beneath them.

Buttercup gasped and both she and Butch tried to fly out of the chasm, but it seemed like it was sucking them down. They could not get away. They fell down onto a hard ground in an extremely hot environment.

There was an evil-sounding chuckling. "Excellent." The voice was a manly bass.

"Who are you? What do you want?" Buttercup demanded fiercely.

"Oh. No need to answer either of those questions, really. You already know me." A red demon-like man drifted from the shadows. "And what a delightful surprise this is! Butch is here, too!"

"Him," Buttercup growled. "I see you've updated your closet." Indeed, Him was now wearing black straight-legged pants, some fancy tennis shoes that looked Italian, and a red biker jacket.

"Thank you for noticing!" Him said sarcastically. His voice was a tenor now. "Now, if you'll just come with me...." He reached out to her.

"Oh, no you don't!" Butch snarled angrily, stepping between them.

Him laughed. The sound echoed eerily. "Ha! This is an interesting twist! What to do about this?"

As Him mused, Butch whispered frantically, "I'll distract him. You get behind him and take him down from there. Okay?" Buttercup nodded and began slowly sneaking around Him.

Before Butch could do anything, Him turned and grabbed Buttercup. "Since you're both so unwilling to listen to me," he said calmly, "I'll just have to do something else with you." He seized Butch and led them somewhere--Buttercup didn't have any idea where. All she knew was that they were most likely going to die. They couldn't use their powers here. Something was really screwed up with that.

* * *

The hotline buzzed almost impatiently. Blossom picked up the phone. "Hello?"

"Blossom!" The Mayor, who had managed to stay in office, seemed relieved. "Thank goodness it's you!"

"Who else would it be, Mayor?" Blossom wondered.

"True," the Mayor agreed. "Now, Blossom, we've got a huge problem. I think you and the girls might need the boys' help with this one. Wow, that feels weird to say."

"What is it, Mayor?" Blossom asked.

"Someone said they saw the ground suck two people underneath it!" the Mayor exclaimed. "They said they think Him is back! You and the girls have to hurry!"

"We're on our way, Mayor," Blossom promised. She hung up. Then something dawned on her. "Oh my God. Butch! Buttercup!" She rushed downstairs to get Bubbles. "Bubbles!"

Bubbles turned her face away from the television and paused her baseball game on the Wii. "What is it, Blossom?"

"Him's got Buttercup and Butch!" Blossom said. The words were rushed and barely intelligible. "We have to go get the boys so we can get them back!"

Bubbles's eyes widened in fear. "O-okay, Blossom," she said shakily. "Let's go!"

* * *

After what seemed like forever, Buttercup said to Butch, "What's going to happen now?"

"Don't know." Butch was as frustrated as she seemed. "Buttercup....I...." God! Why was this so freaking hard?

Someone opened the door. "Come with me," said Him. Then he dragged Buttercup out of the cell.

Butch cursed under his breath. There was no way what was going to happen would be good. Time to die.

* * *

**And there's Chapter Nine! Tell me what you think!**


	10. Chapter 10

****

A/N: And I've made it to Chapter Ten! YAY!!!

By the way, my preference is that villains don't acknowledge that they're evil. Nuff said.

**Disclaimer: Don't own it.**

* * *

"Let go!" Buttercup kicked and punched, trying to escape Him's grasp. Finally, Him released her. She looked around to see that they were in a large red room. On the crimson floor, embedded in black tile, was a frightening . "Where are we?" Buttercup demanded.

"This is the only place in my world in which superheroes can use their powers," said Him. "Don't ask me why, because I honestly have no idea."

Buttercup laughed. "That kind of defeats the purpose of me being here, doesn't it?"

"Not really. I want this to be a fair fight." Him smirked. "If you win, I'll spare you. If I win, you must join me." The last part mainly seemed to be more to himself.

"What do you mean?" Buttercup was confused. Fight? A flashback of a dream she'd had (which had been embarrassing at the time) ran through her mind. Fighting Him and losing.

Him explained, "If I didn't fight you with your powers, it would be a disgrace to all that is good, wouldn't it?"

Buttercup guffawed. "And wearing that skirt ten years ago wasn't a disgrace?"

Him scowled. "Shut up!" He struck out at her with one of his crablike claws. Buttercup felt her entire oxygen supply knocked out of her. She doubled over in pain. "Let the fight begin!"

Buttercup let out a cry and rushed forward.

* * *

"BUTCH!" Brick's voice echoed off of the walls of the buildings downtown.

"BUTTERCUP!" Blossom called, desperation taking over her voice. So far, there had been no luck in finding them, or in discovering an opening to Him's lair.

"It's no use," Boomer sighed, obviously exhausted. Blossom knew he wanted to keep looking. But out of all his brothers, even though he had the most sensitive heart, he had the least amount of stamina.

"They're gone." Tears welled up in Bubbles's eyes. Boomer put an arm around her shoulders comfortingly.

Brick frowned. "Come on, guys! Don't give up!"

"We'll find them," Blossom promised, despite the fact that she wasn't sure herself.

* * *

Butch stared absently at where he was so sure that the dent he'd made in the metal wall was. He punched the spot again. Yep. It was there.

What if Him was having Buttercup fight him? Butch punched the wall again. What if Buttercup never came back to the cell? Another blow to the wall. What if Him did something worse to her? This thought deserved both a kick and a punch to the wall.

He heard a key click in the door. He stood up and took a fighting stance. When the door opened, he saw a familiar green chimp standing there. "Mojo?" he asked, his voice coated in disbelief.

"Yes," the monkey replied tiredly. "It is me."

Butch's mouth fell agape. "But....I mean....I haven't seen you in...."

"Ten years," Mojo Jojo finished. "I know. I'm sorry."

"You're sorry?" If Butch's mouth opened any wider, it would hit the floor. He shook his head, trying to make sense of this. "Um...okay. I forgive you, I guess. But why are you here?"

"I'm here to get you out so you can help Buttercup," Mojo said, grabbing Butch's wrist and attempting to lead him out.

"What?" Now Butch was really confused. "Why?"

"Because....I was the worst person--er, chimpanzee--that I think has ever existed in the human world." Mojo seemed to be having a hard time saying this. "I want to make it up to you and your brothers. I know you like the girls. I want to help you. I know I created you to destroy them, and I am sorry about that too." Mojo Jojo smiled up at him a little bit.

Stunned, the only thing that Butch could think of to do was pat the chimp on the head. "It's okay." He began to run in the direction he'd heard Him take Buttercup. He paused and turned back to Mojo. "Thanks."

Mojo Jojo walked up and, seeming a little uncertain, gave Butch an awkward one-armed hug. "Be careful, son." Then he let Butch run on.

* * *

Buttercup glared up at Him. "You are going down!" She flew up, a streak of green light following her. She launched several superpowered punches at Him's head, but he managed to dodge them all. Buttercup wasn't surprised. She was tired and needed something to fuel her. Something to make her angry.

Him grabbed her wrist and flung her down to the ground. Buttercup felt something wet on her head. She reached up to inspect of it. When she looked at her hand, it was covered with blood. She felt woozy.

There was no way she could go on like this. No way at all.

Him raised his arm to deliver the final blow. Buttercup squeezed her eyes shut, waiting for the worst. Then she heard wind rush past. She opened her eyes to see a streak of emerald green light knock Him to the floor.

Buttercup stood and prepared to begin fighting again. But before she could do anything, something startling happened.

As Butch was throwing punches and kicks that would have made even Buttercup flinch, he left his torso open for attack. Buttercup wasn't the only one that noticed. Him opened his right claw so that it resembled a razor blade. Then he plunged it into Butch's stomach.

* * *

**Short again, I know.**

**Mojo is Him's "helper-monkey," but he's really a spy. Haha. Helper-monkey. I made a joke.**

**Eek! What just happened? You'll have to review to find out!**


	11. Chapter 11

**A/N: I is back with more!**

**Some of you may be wondering what exactly happened in the last chapter because it all happened so fast. Well, too bad, you ain't findin' out. Sucks for you. But don't worry. I still love you all.**

**Disclaimer: Don't own it.**

**Apprécier (French for "enjoy")!**

* * *

Buttercup froze. Her gaze flickered from Butch, who now lay crumpled on the ground, to Him. She wasn't sure what to do first.

Before she could decide, a red haze altered her vision. She could no longer remember her name, who she was. All she knew was that she was furious to the point of absolute destruction of anything standing in her way. A tremor shook her body and, with a loud battle cry, she lunged forward.

Laser beams shot out of her eyes, taking Him by surprise. Then she punched and kicked at him, but he managed to dodge everything. She spun in a wide circle at superspeed until she formed a twister and knocked him off his feet.

As she continued fighting, she heard three voices shout "No!" The sound was pained, almost tortured. Five other people joined in the fight. Suddenly, she heard a voice sternly say, "Buttercup." She ignored it and kept fighting. The voice spoke again. "Buttercup." She pretended to be completely oblivious to it. "Buttercup!" Against her will, her arms were pushed down to her sides.

She looked up to see who was hindering her. It was none other than Brick. Then she remembered: She was Buttercup. She loved Butch, and Him had hurt him. She tried to move forward again, but Brick held her in place. "Buttercup," he said, his voice full of an authority he'd never used with her. "Go take care of Butch," he ordered. "We can handle things here." Buttercup nodded shakily. Brick released her and she slowly backed away, watching as her sisters, Butch's brothers, and a certain green monkey fought Him with a personal, passionate hate.

Buttercup ran over to where Butch was broken and nearly lifeless on the floor. She knelt next to him, trying to remember what Mr. Rolling had said in Health class. Oh, yeah! First she had to check his pulse. She gingerly placed two fingers on the inside of Butch's right wrist. She felt a faint pressure in repeated patterns, so his blood was still pumping, if weakly. Then, she placed her hands on his stomach. He was still breathing, though it was ragged and shallow. She bent down and pressed the side of her head against his chest; his heart was still beating, though very, very faintly. _Oh, God,_ she thought, panicked.

She carefully inspected his wound. It was very deep and he'd lost a lot of blood. There was no way he'd make it. She gently touched the gash and closed her eyes, holding back tears. _Dear God, not Butch. Not Butch._

Suddenly, her hand grew warm. Warmer than it normally was, and usually it was warmer than the average humanoid because of her superpowers. It was too warm. She opened her eyes and looked down. Her hand was glowing a piercing jade green, and so was Butch's wound. Her big eyes widened as the wound closed. It seemed as if there had never been a wound in the first place. Sure, there was still a large hole in his green T-shirt and the shirt was still bloodstained, but underneath that, there was nothing there. It was like a miracle. But Buttercup knew what it really was--it was her special power, revealing itself at last.

"Oh my God," she whispered, almost frantically. Without giving any warning to herself or to him, she bent down and pressed her lips against his. She felt a blush creep onto her cheeks and she pulled away. On Butch's inhumanly handsome, pale face was the trademark, cocky smirk Buttercup loved so much.

His emerald gaze shifted to the left and his face contorted into a menacing glare. With some difficulty and Buttercup's help, he stood to face the one creature who had dared to try and kill him and actually expect to _live_.

Butch twitched and he laughed the way he did when he was half-crazed with either anger or excitement.

Brick, Blossom, Boomer, Bubbles, and Mojo Jojo all turned from Him. They seemed almost ready to faint from shock at the sound of Butch's voice. But now was not the time for a happy celebration. Him had to be vanquished once and for all.

Buttercup cautiously approached Mojo. "We'll handle him," she told him. "You don't have to hang around here any more. You can go."

Mojo looked at the battered, exhausted Him and smiled gratefully. "Thank you." He backed up a little before running as fast as his chimpanzee legs could carry him.

Buttercup grinned demonically. Even Him flinched. "Now, where were we?"

* * *

The Mayor glanced out the window at the darkened sky. He knew he was at Townsville Hall much later than usual, but he didn't want to go home until he recieved confirmation that the Powerpuff Girls and the Rowdyruff Boys were all safe. It had been one, two..._seven _hours since he'd called Blossom. Now he just had to wait.

In that instant it felt like the shroud of invisible darkness that had covered Townsville for so long was finally lifted. Like evil had left it alone for good.

The Mayor smiled--the first genuine smile that had crossed his face in a very long time.

* * *

The Professor waited anxiously in the living room for the girls to return from their rescue mission. Hopefully, they had succeeded. And if not....Well, he wouldn't know what to do with himself if that happened.

The hotline buzzed. The Professor picked it up. "Hello?"

"John!" It was the Mayor.

"How many times do I have to tell you, Mayor? Just call me Professor."

"Sorry, Professor." His tone was sheepish, immediately reminding the Professor of when Bubbles was only five and had unintentionally done something she was not supposed to do.

"Well, what is it?" The Professor's worry was making him cross.

The Mayor hesitated. "Is it just me, or does it feel like some sort of blanket, or shroud, or whatever you want to call it....Well, doesn't it feel like one of those has been lifted from Townsville?"

Now that the Professor thought about it, it did seem that way. Like he could finally breathe deeply and purely for the first time. "Yeah. Yeah, it does."

The Professor could practically hear the grin in the Mayor's voice. "I think they succeeded."

Filled with hope, the Professor replied, "I think so, too."

* * *

**And there you have it. But mind you, people, this is not the end. This is only the most descriptive chapter I've ever written. Ever.**

**Review, _por favor_!**


	12. Chapter 12

**A/N: And I'm back. And yes, this is the last chapter. *sniffle***

**About Buttercup's special power, I think it's really cool that it happens to be healing. It goes completely against practically every Buttercup stereotype there's ever been.**

**By the way, you can go to my profile and follow the link there to see the inspiration behind Blossom, Bubbles, and Buttercup's dresses. You can also check out Butch's Cadillac Escalade. **

**Disclaimer: Don't own it.**

**Enjoy.**

* * *

When they got home that night, Buttercup rang the doorbell. The Professor answered the door and a smile of relief broke out on his face. "Girls! You're safe!" He wrapped the three of them in a warm, fatherly hug. Then he led them into the living room. Bubbles sat down on the recliner, Blossom perched on the loveseat next to the Professor, and Buttercup collapsed gratefully onto the couch.

The Professor spoke. "What happened down there?"

"It's over, Professor," Buttercup sighed, her voice hoarse. "We won. Him's gone for good." Never had she been more satisfied with herself.

"For good?" the Professor asked incredulously. The girls nodded. "So that means...." His eyes suddenly filled with tears. "Sorry. It's just that....Well, you're all growing up...."

"Professor," the girls groaned in unison.

The Professor quickly composed himself. "All right now, girls. Off to bed."

* * *

"For heaven's sake! Wake up, Buttercup!"

Buttercup moaned and rolled onto her side. "Come on, Bubs. It's Saturday. Let me sleep."

"You know better than that, BC," Bubbles scoffed. "This isn't just _any _Saturday." Buttercup froze. Dang it, she was right. Why had she agreed to this in the first place? "Blossom and I only have a few hours for this," Bubbles reminded her. "We need to make you look absolutely breathtaking."

A few _hours_?

"So get up!" Bubbles grabbed Buttercup's wrists and pulled her, kicking and mumbling protests that were incoherent even to herself, out of the bed. Buttercup plopped onto the floor.

"You can't make me do anything," Buttercup declared.

"But I know who can," Bubbles smirked. Buttercup only gaped at her. Then she crossed her arms over her chest.

"Fine, then," she grumbled.

"Come on," said Bubbles, obviously pleased. "Blossom is downstairs waiting for you. Since you've woken up so late, you're going to have to go ahead and have lunch." Buttercup nodded and reluctantly followed her out the door.

After breakfast-slash-lunch, Bubbles forced Buttercup into the bathtub for a short bath. Then, Bubbles dressed her in a green bathrobe and dried her hair. After that, Blossom came into the bathroom to help with Buttercup's hair. They basically just brushed it out until it made its natural flip, then pinned a green diamond-shaped hair clip in it. Then, they did her makeup--ivory foundation, pale-green eyeshadow, and lip gloss; they also added a light blush to her cheeks.

Finally, it was time for the dreaded dress. Although it was beautiful, Buttercup had to admit. The skirt was a sateen jade green and reached her knees. The top was of the tight corset persuasion and even paler than the skirt, and was embroidered with flowers in white thread. Three thick satin ribbons were wrapped around it. The first was around the bust, the second around the waist, and the third around the hips. Then Blossom practically forced the green high heels onto Buttercup's feet.

"Oh!" Bubbles squealed when she came out of the bathroom. She herself was wearing her hair in her trademark pigtails and was also wearing blue stilletos. Her dress was baby blue with halter straps. It flowed loosely and fell just above her knees. "You look so pretty, Buttercup!"

"You really do," Blossom agreed. Buttercup wondered how Blossom could say that when she was uncomparable. Her dress was pale-pink. The bodice was make of silk and embroidered with silver thread in random designs. The skirt was a thin layered taffeta and reached the floor, hiding her pink high heels. Her red hair was pulled back halfway up and tied with her signature red ribbon. Blossom smiled. "We'll go on. After all, this is your first date." She and Bubbles both giggled and walked on out.

Buttercup sat on the edge of her bed and sighed.

Just as it was getting dark, Buttercup heard a car pull up in the driveway. Her heart leaped and she rushed downstairs and out the door. Parked in the driveway was a big black Cadillac.

Buttercup walked up to the huge SUV, opened the door, and climbed in. As she did, her mind formed a question. "You're taking the Escalade?" She knew the Escalade was only used either when the weather was going to be bad or on special occasions. Buttercup would hardly classify this occasion as "special."

"There's a seventy percent chance of rain." Butch shrugged, crinkling the expensive-looking black fabric of his tuxedo. An awkward silence ensued.

"You look good," Buttercup commented quietly. _Try amazing, _her conscience urged. Buttercup wanted to punch it.

"My brothers got a hold of me," Butch confessed. Her turned to her and his eyes grew wide. "You don't look so bad yourself."

"Thanks. My sisters did it," said Buttercup. She looked up at the sky. Large gray clouds replaced the dark blue that had been there mere moments ago.

After a long and torturous drive to what seemed like a torture session that adults invented to get amusement out of watching poor teenagers suffer, they made it to the high school. Buttercup shivered in her seat.

"What?" Butch asked her.

"It's just this whole concept," Buttercup said.

"What concept?"

Buttercup shivered again. "_Prom_," she finally whispered. Even the word was terrifying.

Butch chuckled. "Come on. It can't be all that bad." He opened his door and hopped out. Buttercup stayed put, trying to contain herself so that she wouldn't scream. Butch walked around the front of the Escalade and opened Buttercup's door. He held out his hand, the trademark smirk on his face. She took his hand and slid out of the car. Then they linked arms (not in the friend way, but the romantic couple way) and headed towards the extravaganza.

Buttercup was glad that she was wearing blush when the camera guys took their picture, otherwise it would look like she was when she wasn't. They walked past the unfortunate misfits who hadn't bought their tickets prior to the dance and into the gym. Buttercup snickered when she saw Princess glaring at her. Buttercup suavely lifted her right hand and shot Princess the bird.

She glanced around anxiously for her sisters and Butch's brothers. Finally, she caught sight of Bubbles and Boomer dancing together. Bubbles paused to give Buttercup a thumbs-up and then kept dancing.

Soon, Buttercup also saw Blossom and Brick dancing. Blossom smiled encouragingly at Buttercup. Buttercup just looked down at her dress and scowled, then she grinned at her sister.

Butch seemed to be having an even harder time taking in the whole party theme. "Wanna sit down?" he whispered casually.

"You read my mind," Buttercup muttered. They inconspicuously made their way over to the door and headed outside. There was a tent set up for those who had the guts to dance outside. Speaking of which, there were not a lot of people there. Buttercup glanced at the black sky.

Someone tapped her shoulder. Buttercup turned to see Bubbles. "Dance!" Bubbles hissed in her ear. "Now!"

"All right, fine," Buttercup grumbled. Bubbles left and she stood up. Butch gave her a puzzled look. "We came to a dance," she said simply. "Might as well make the name of the party useful." Butch stood up, took her hand, and led her to the dance floor. A slow song was playing, so Butch placed his hands on Buttercup's waist. Buttercup put her left hand on Butch's right arm and rested her right hand on his left shoulder. They swayed slowly to the music.

About thirty seconds into their dancing, it began to rain. The water pounded against the tarp. A few people groaned and they all went inside. Buttercup watched them go. "Weenies," she observed.

Butch nodded, verifying her comment. "Super weenies. At least they're gone now."

"And you were waiting for them to go because?" Buttercup asked.

Butch raised his hand and tilting Buttercup's head slightly upward. "Private moments are to be kept private, aren't they?" He brought his lips to hers, a light pressure at first, then steadily growing stronger.

To outsiders, it would have just been another teenage couple expressing their love in a public display of affection.

To Buttercup, it was a symbol. She didn't know what for, but she knew that was what it was. To be honest, she wouldn't have had it any other way.

* * *

**And that's it. It's over. *sniffle***

**Well, that's that. Maybe I'll write a sequel. But that all depends on you. So please review.**


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